7:45 p.m. update: Polls closed at 7 p.m., still awaiting results. Martin Klein is holding a party tonight at Nick & Johnnie’s while Julie Araskog is at a private residence.

11 a.m. update: Supporters of the two candidates lined the walkways toward the voting booths this morning at the Midtown and South End fire stations, holding posters and pamphlets.

One notable supporter for Julie Araskog on the South End was former council member Bill Diamond, who donned an Araskog T-shirt and carried a poster for her.

“She will really watch the town spending,” said Diamond. “The town is spending too much … undergrounding looks like it’s going to be over budget.”

Diamond called this year’s race less controversial than his race in 2015 against eventual winner Danielle Moore.

“It seems very quiet,” Diamond said. “At the end of the day, I think people are going to vote for who they think will listen to them.”

For some residents on the South End, the traffic that comes with President Donald Trump’s visits to his Mar-a-Lago Club is a concern.

“We’re a small town,” said resident Barbara Ragoff, who said she hadn’t left her condo when Trump was in town to avoid traffic. “We can’t accommodate that, nevermind what it’s costing. And he’s supposed to be coming back next weekend?”

For Natalie Dejoux who was voting in Midtown, the controversial recreation center drove her to the polls.

“I don’t want a huge thing that going to take away from the kids,” Dejoux said.

“He’s served the residents of the town,” Bill Tylander said. Added his wife: “We think he will bring in undergrounding at budget or under budget.”

Original post: Voting started slow in the North End, but turnout is expected to pick up today as candidates Julie Araskog and Martin Klein battle for an open Town Council seat.

By 7:30 a.m., about two dozen people had visited the polling booths at St. Edward Catholic Church. Both candidates stood outside holding signs supporting their campaign, along with a couple volunteers each.

Resident Susan Thomas said undergrounding is the most important issue for her in this election.

“I find it amusing that people want to underground but yet they’re talking about global warming and … we’ve got flooding already,” she said. “And I don’t trust big utilities to put it in right so there aren’t leaks.”

Resident Sari Wilkey said she votes in all elections but is particularly interested this time in candidates’ views on “all of this terrible construction and all the disruption.”

“I’m familiar with both of them,” she said of the candidates. “I think it’s going to be very close.”

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